SACRAMENTO — A tax-exempt group set up to create jobs is being used by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to bankroll a pair of splashy bill-signing events designed to attract publicity as he runs for reelection.
Unlike contributions to Schwarzenegger's campaign account, donations to the nonprofit are not subject to caps or disclosure requirements.
Schwarzenegger this week staged carefully choreographed ceremonies against the picturesque backdrops of Malibu and San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island, signing legislation to curb emissions that contribute to global warming.
The events were meant to showcase the governor's environmental credentials at a time when he wants to maximize his appeal to independent voters.
Part of the cost is being picked up by the Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, a nonprofit panel that Schwarzenegger launched in 2004 to lure business to California. The commission is planning to raise about $25,000 to help pay for the events, according to executive director Mark Mosher.
Among the commission's donors are major California companies with business before the state, including PG&E and Southern California Edison.
Watchdog groups said that when the governor takes official actions, taxpayers should foot the bill -- not companies with business in Sacramento.
"In my judgment, it violates the spirit of the Political Reform Act for him to privatize a gubernatorial function," said Robert Fellmeth, director of the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego, referring to the 1974 law promoting ethics in government.
PG&E spokeswoman Jann Taber said the company donated $100,000 to the governor's nonprofit group in March. Although a Schwarzenegger aide raised the subject of an additional contribution to help cover bill-signing costs, the company has not given more, she said.
Another company official, explaining PG&E's support for the new law, said the company already has relatively clean emissions and is committed to reducing global warming.
Both PG&E and Southern California Edison maintain an active lobbying presence in Sacramento and are regulated by the state Public Utilities Commission. A majority of the PUC's five commissioners have been appointed by Schwarzenegger.
Asked why the governor is using private money to underwrite public functions, the governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said: "We've always done everything we can to minimize the cost to taxpayers."
